Eyeglasses, Eyewear and Eye Care Blog

When we look for contact lens solution in the Philippines, we treat it much the same like we do our grocery food items: we almost never read the ingredients list. We just assume that, because the doctor recommended it, what more is there to scrutinize, right?

To be fair, rarely is your commercial contact lens solution a thing of scrutiny but there are instances that it might be good to know what makes it a necessary partner to your contact lenses.

Disinfectant

This is one of the most important roles of the contact lens solution. The disinfectant is there to kill off bacteria, germs, fungi, and other harmful organisms that might cause infections. Hydrogen peroxide, boric acid and ascorbic acid are some of the common active ingredients giving contact lens solutions disinfecting effects.

Surfactant

This is another one of the roles that you want your contact lens solution to fulfill. Especially in a country as dusty as the Philippines, your contact lens solution needs to have a good surfactant additive. Surfactant cleanses build ups on the surface of your contact lenses. As a mild abrasive, it help sediments to slide off without scratching the lenses; also, enzymatic cleaners help dissolve left over protein and tissue on the surface of your contact lenses that could otherwise lead to a variety of diseases.

Wetting Solution

Wetting agents or wetting solutions, as the name implies, help keep the soft contact lenses moist and helps to give a more natural feel to the wearer. A good wetting agent gradually releases throughout the day, and thus, some solutions will advise you to wash the contact lenses more frequently throughout the day, so that your eyes will feel less strain.

Preservative

Preservative as a contact lens solution ingredient, much like in food, play the role of keeping the solution effective longer. The chemicals in your cleaning solution might reach their half-life and start dissipating or recombining with other materials in the solution. The preservative hinders that from happening. Preservatives prolong the shelf life of your solution, allowing you to maximize it and fully consume it even before it expires.

If you are going to buy contact lens solutions in the Philippines, make sure that you only get yours from a trusted optical shop. It might be tempting to buy cheaper knock-off alternatives but no one can give you a guarantee if it’s made with the right ingredients that help your contact lenses help you.